It’s been called the year of the home cook. Increasingly, families are foregoing restaurant fare and staying at home for meals. In fact, in-home cooking is fast approaching a 25-year high, according to the NPD Group. But things have changed. Home cooking looks different than it did during the past two recessions when prepared meals and frozen entrees ruled. This time around families are more likely to cook from scratch, according to Information Resources Inc.’s Competing in a Transforming Economy webinar. The IRI data indicates that 53% of consumers are cooking from scratch more frequently — sending sales of sauces, spice blends, marinades and seasonings soaring.
Elizabeth Sloan reviews these trends in this month’s Food Tcchnology. She says consumers are attempting to prepare restaurant-style foods athome and are looking to these prepared sauces and seasonings to build maximum flavor flexibility into their family meal routines. As consumers turn to one-dish meals, casseroles, woks and crock pots to stretch less-expensive cuts of meat, Sloan predicts that we’ll see more sauces and seasoning mixes tailored to specific preparation methods and appliances. With an increase in “cooking enthusiasts” in this country, look for finishing, hot drizzling and high-end dessert and spirit/wine-based sauces to get more attention, she said. Other ”saucy” trends:
Bread dipping sauces (other than oils), appetizer sauces,especially for fish/shellfish, and healthier versions of classic continental sauces such as Bordelaise
Local artisan and varietal sauces, and sauces designed by celebrity chefs or high-end restaurants
Upgraded soups for cooking, such as chanterelle or porcini mushroom cooking sauce
In an effort to sample the world of foodservice flavors at home, consumers are redefining convenience food, looking for products that assist with flavors (e.g., marinating sauces or rubs), according to the Hartman Group’s Reimagining Convenience Food report. Sloan writes that U.S. consumers are most likely to look for American regional flavors in their sauces and marinades, but expect sauces coupled to international regional cuisines, such as Brazilian churrasco sauces and Argentinean chimichurri sauces to be the next wave.
This summer, now that grilling season is in full swing, expect to see a greater demand for grill-specific marinades, sauces and rubs. The variety of ready-made grilling sauces is exploding, but I tend to make my own. My favorite new guide is the book just released by my good friend Elizabeth Karmel called Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill. I encourage you to check it out this summer. It includes 400 creative recipes for marinades, brines, barbecue sauces, glazes, mops, salsas, dipping sauces, pestos and tapenades for foods on the grill. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities of a sauce.
Some of the country’s top experts have been assembled to help figure this out. During the next two days, a panel of scientists, nutritionists, epidemiologists and physicians will be meeting in Washington, DC to review the best scientific evidence to help craft the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This is the third meeting of the 13-member committee and I’ll be reporting back on some of the discussions during this public hearing.
photo credit: bigstockphoto.com
In the meantime, here’s what Adam Drewnowksi, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington, told the Washington Post. He’s one of the experts that will be addressing the panel this week.
“My hope is that they will at least take the economics of nutrition into account, really think through about real foods for real people. Dietary choices are economic decisions, like everything else…. I’d like to see a focus on affordable, nutrient-rich foods by category. They do exist; not everything nutritious is expensive. For instance, with vegetables the focus has been on fresh salad greens. But there are cheaper vegetables that provide a whole range of nutrients: cabbage, carrots, potatoes….We need to advise people what those foods are, where you can get them and how to cook them. It’s a dietfor a new Depression. Foods we’ve always know are good and nutritious — and inexpensive. ”
“Unless we aid the public in identifying foods that are nutrient-rich and affordable — and are enjoyable in the mainstream of the American diet — none of this will work….When we want to change the population’s diet for the better, everybody says stop eating oils, sugar, and go with leafy greens. That’s dramatic. Instead, nudge your diet toward foods that are more rich in nutrients of interest.”
“You have to know something about nutrition — and you have to know how to cook. It takes a bit of time, but not an inordinate amount. In addition to time, though, it takes some education, cooking skills, culinary culture and infrastructure: pots, pans, a stove. For a lot of people, those things are slipping out of reach…. Eating well is a matter of knowledge, money and time. Some people are zero for three.”
Keep it simple stupid. That’s the current rallying cry in the food industry. Simplicity is a dominant trend — perhaps it’s an antidote to the complexity and stress of these uncertain times. Maybe it’s a backlash against the onslaught of pumped up, engineered foods. There does seem to be a growing skepticism of complicated formulations and unfamiliar ingredients – and food companies are taking notice.
Today, people are looking for foods that have been stripped back to basics. They want unpretentious, unadorned or “natural” foods, which are perceived as more real and authentic. That often comes down to few and familiaringredients — a trend that Haagen Dazs nailed on the head with Five. This new ice cream focuses on the small number of ingredients that go into every carton — and it’s all ingredients you’d likely have at home: milk, cream, sugar and eggs.
In a recent Marketing Daily article, simplicity was described as the new sophistication. Margaret Kime, director of innovation for the brand-building consultancy Fletcher Knight, said “brands that celebrate the aesthetic beauty in real ingredients, simple preparation and artful presentation will be aligned with the driving philosophy that good food is eaten fresh and prepared unpretentiously.” She cited several new products in the beverage category that are redefining simplicity, including all-natural Pepsi Raw and Honest Beverages (”Be Real. Get Honest.”).
But it’s not only about new food products. One of my favorite cereals is Shredded Wheat. And this no-nonsense breakfast food is coming on strong to tap into the recession-driven demand for comforting, simple and familiar foods. And the company is really playing up the anti-innovation factor. Now it’s hip to be behind the times.
Post Foods just announced that it will be embarking on a new campaign to highlight that the cereal has remained unchanged since it was first introduced 117 years ago, and still contains only “one simple, honest ingredient – 100 percent natural whole grain wheat. ”
“There’s been a marked change in American values, with a greater desire for honesty, trustworthiness, and security during a time of economic and societal uncertainly,” said Kelley Peters, director of integrated insights and strategy for Post Foods. The company said that its focus on remaining the same for more than a century should come as a “refreshing change…in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.”
This old-fashioned cereal couldn’t be more modern. Not only does it have the simplicity thing going for it, but it’s also high in fiber — a shortfall nutrient that’s being added to all sorts of foods and beverages today. Digestive health is a hot claim, according to Packaged Facts, who predicts that it will rule in 2009.
Shredded Wheat is also playing the natural card, and “natural” is now the top label claim on new products, according to the market researcher Mintel. Additionally, as nutrition information moves front-of-pack, more companies will be turning their attention to simplicity and looking to remove artificial colors and flavors.
Last year we saw the rise of locavores — those dedicated to eating locally. Now it’s all about the scrimpavores, a term coined by Iconoculture. This cultural trend research company suggests the shift to thrift may help make us healthier. People are beginning to trade processed for more of a process in the kitchen. And that means for the first time, non-foodies are starting to act more like foodies in an effort to save money. People are being forced to learn to cook from scratch rather than buying something ready-made to eat at home. In-home meals tend to be healthier and they cost about a third of a meal purchased away from home.
Scrimpavores now have to think more strategically by using items they have on hand, stretching leftovers and working backwards by stocking up when items are on sale and then figuring out a meal. That means a whole new generation of folks are trying to make their way around a kitchen at a time when cooking has become a spectator sport. Throughout the country, the recession has brought back the home cooked meal. Now 71% of all meals are eaten at home, according to the NPD Group.
People who grew accustomed to dining out every night are now taking cooking lessons, devouring food magazines, searching recipe web sites and snatching up cookbooks. Some of the fastest growing items in the supermarket are canning and freezer supplies. Money saved by eating in has given some people the means and justification to invest in kitchen tools, cookware and small appliances like slow cookers.
There’s a tremendous opportunity to give novice home cooks the skills and the confidence to create family meals that are easy, frugal and nutritious.
Turns out, life in a recession isn’t bad for everyone. Some food products are actually thriving in this sluggish economy, according to Mintel. The market research firm identified the food and drink markets that are being improved by recessionary woes. And they all have a few things in common — they fall into the comfort/simple food categories and can be purchased at a general supermarket for a relatively low price. Then at home, they can be prepared quickly.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen people trying to save money on food by either dining out less, cutting supermarket bills, or both,” said Bill Patterson, a senior analyst at Mintel. “More people cook at home now, but they still want healthy, convenient, tasty food and drink for their dollar.”
Here’s a look at some of the recession-fueled industries that Mintel predicts will do well throughout the economic downturn:
Bread. The core of basic American eating, from breakfast bagels to lunchtime sandwiches to dinner rolls, Mintel sees the bread market faring the recession quite well.
photo credit: xixsnaps on Flickr
Sweet spreads. Brown bag lunches are back. America’s quintessential lunch — the PB&J — is doing great during recessionary times. A healthy, cheap source of protein, peanut butter will drive sweet spread sales to increase 26% from 2008-2013, up substantially from Mintel’s initial prediction of 12%.
Frozen meals. Convenient, available in family-sized servings, filling and often inexpensive, frozen meals will undoubtedly benefit from the recession, Mintel predicts. The firm expects a total sales increase of 4.5% in 2008.
Side dishes. More people are cooking at home, but small conveniences like ready-prepared side dishes aren’t out of the question for many families. The side dish market grew more than 5%, driven by increased sales of basic comfort foods such as mac and cheese.
Coffee. The $4 latte is finally going out of fashion. More adults are making their coffee at home, causing the retail coffee market to grow 6% in 2008, a substantial jump from Mintel’s original forecast of 2.4%. Mintel expects this market to enjoy continued success in the future, though recent, less expensive coffee drink launches from Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s will compete with at-home coffee sales.
In a survey of 1,008 adults, 40% said they’re eating less nutritious foods in an effort to save money. But not sure how they’re interpreting less healthy. Cheap doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Asked which foods they’re eating more of: pasta (44%), sandwiches (39%), soup (36%), eggs (36%), cold cereal (36%), bread (29%), peanut butter (28%), tuna fish (27%), beans (26%) and hot dogs (22%).
Some research indicates that people are even more motivated to eat nutritious foods during these tough economic times. Food industry research analyst Christopher Shanahan from Frost and Sullivan said consumers are increasingly focused on ways to avoid becoming ill due to the economic downturn and companies would do well to pay attention. Focusing on health and wellness and building brand awareness are the most successful strategies for weathering the global economic storm, he said.
Is our bad economy making us fat? There’s a growing concern that the deepening recession could inflate America’s waistlines. Are we in store for “recession pounds” as cash-strapped shoppers seek cheaper food?
Sure, the dollar drive-thru menu may look appealing. But as Adam Drewnowski says, the answer lies in affordable but nutrient-rich foods that give you the biggest nutritional bang for your buck — real foods that people relied on during the Great Depression, such as beans, rice, potatoes, milk, cheese, carrots, canned tomatoes and soups. He’s calling it ”a diet for a new Depression.”
photo credit: Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition
And Depression-era foods are back in a big way. Perhaps the best evidence is the latest sensation on You Tube called Great Depression Cooking with Clara, a series of 10 videos featuring 93-year old Clara Cannucciari. Her filmmaker grandson created the videos of Clara demonstrating the meals her family ate during the Great Depression.
Here’s Cannucciari making a “Poorman’s Feast,” a Depression-era version of a celebration meal featuring salad and lentils, rice and a little bit of meat cooked in lemon and oil.
So how are people changing how they eat based on these tough economic times?
The recession has brought back home cooking — or at least eating at home. It’s hard to say home much cooking is actually happening, but 71% of consumers say they’re eating out less. The most popular entree at dinner : sandwiches! That’s according to research by the NPD Group. When people eat at home, they’re apt to eat better.
Some evidence suggests people look to health and wellness in a recession — they are increasingly focused on ways to avoid becoming ill during these uncertain times. But instead of high-priced functional foods, wholesome real foods cooked at home are the likely approach. It’s the back to-basics bailout diet.
The casserole is making a comeback. An article in Advertising Age says this one-dish wonder has become a lot more popular lately among cash-strapped and often culinarily challenged consumers anxious to save bucks while getting dinner on the table. But the modern-day casserole is being re-invented with more fresh vegetables and spice.
Less expensive cuts of meat are quickly growing in popularity, including the cube steak, which is the hottest cut of beef in the country now. An article about the resurgence of cube steak was recently featured in the New York Times by Kim Severson, who lovingly profiled this “wallflower among meat cuts” that brings her back to her childhood dinner table…when “life was safe, steady and predictable.”
NPR food commentator Bonny Wolf says the recession will have a big impact on food trends in 2009 — it will be all about comfort, value and simplicity.
It’s been called the year of the home cook. Increasingly, families are foregoing restaurant fare and staying at home for meals. In fact, in-home cooking is fast approaching a 25-year high, according to the NPD Group. But things have changed. Home cooking looks different than it did during the past two recessions when prepared meals and frozen entrees ruled. This time around families are more likely to cook from scratch, according to Information Resources Inc.’s Competing in a Transforming Economy webinar. The IRI data indicates that 53% of consumers are cooking from scratch more frequently — sending sales of sauces, spice blends, marinades and seasonings soaring. 
This summer, now that grilling season is in full swing, expect to see a greater demand for grill-specific marinades, sauces and rubs. The variety of ready-made grilling sauces is exploding, but I tend to make my own. My favorite new guide is the book just released by my good friend Elizabeth Karmel called Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill. I encourage you to check it out this summer. It includes 400 creative recipes for marinades, brines, barbecue sauces, glazes, mops, salsas, dipping sauces, pestos and tapenades for foods on the grill. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities of a sauce.
Keep it simple stupid. That’s the current rallying cry in the food industry. Simplicity is a dominant trend — perhaps it’s an antidote to the complexity and stress of these uncertain times. Maybe it’s a backlash against the onslaught of pumped up, engineered foods. There does seem to be a growing skepticism of complicated formulations and unfamiliar ingredients – and food companies are taking notice.
